(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Auburn Tigers knocked off the Tennessee Volunteers 26-22 on Saturday night in Knoxville, surviving a 16-point Volunteer fourth quarter. While the Tigers answered a number of nagging questions in Rocky Top, others persist.
First the good news.
Auburn is 5-0. With a game against Furman still to come, the Tigers are all but assured a bowl game, which, at the beginning of the season, was considered a reasonable goal for 2009. Given the current state of the SEC, expectations for an upper tier bowl are now not unreasonable.
Tiger head coach Gene Chizik notched his first road win as a head coach in one of the most hostile environments in the league and in the process extended Auburn's winning streak over its longtime rival.
Chizik's young team proved it can maintain focus and thrive away from the friendly confines of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
It will be almost impossible for poll voters to ignore Auburn now. The Tigers should crack the poll for the first time since a loss to Arkansas slammed Auburn from the rankings on Oct. 11, one year ago.
Auburn's offense acquitted itself well against a Monte Kiffin-directed Tennessee defense that had clamped down on the Florida Gators and was expected to provide a significant challenge to a resurgent Tiger offense.
Auburn moved the ball significantly better against Tennessee than did the nation's No. 1 team, Florida. The Tigers put up better numbers despite the efforts of more than 100,000 Volunteer fans in Knoxville. Florida had the luxury of taking down the Vols at home.
Auburn piled up 459 total yards on Rocky Top. Florida managed just 323.
Running back Ben Tate continued to chew up the opposition, rolling up 128 yards on 25 carries. On one highlight-reel quality hit, Tate lowered his shoulder and sent All American safety Eric Berry pinwheeling into a backward slide.
If that doesn't give you pause, try to wrap your mind around this:
Tiger quarterback Chris Todd outperformed Florida Heisman Trophy winner (and presumed favorite unless you're Lou Holtz and have an unhealthy obsession with all things Notre Dame) Tebow.
Todd was 19 of 32 passing for 218 yards and a touchdown. He didn't throw an interception and wasn't sacked. Against the Vols, Tebow threw for a meager 115 yards. He was sacked three times and was picked off once. Florida's superman did rush for 105 yards on 24 attempts, but that's not the role Todd is required to play.
Nobody's cranking up a Todd for Heisman campaign yet, but the Auburn quarterback has numbers that rank near the top of the SEC in every significant category. Todd is second in the league in yards per game with an average of 246. He's fourth in passing efficiency.
He is cool and efficient in running offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn's game plan. Todd took his lumps against Tennessee as the Vols brought pressure and hit Todd often. He took the punishment and delivered despite the beating he suffered.
The special teams' gaffes that plagued the Tigers in all four games were non-existent on Saturday. Onterrio McCalebb's kickoff returns were electric.
His fourth-quarter return, in particular, flipped field position and provided the Tigers momentum that should have finished off the Volunteers.
Auburn did no damage on punt returns but that includes damage to itself which has been a weekly occurrence. Fair catches ruled the day and while they limited field position with four coming inside the Tiger 20, there were no muffs or bobbles.
Wes Byrum continued solid place-kicking work, hitting four of five field goals.
Overall, it was a fairly thorough domination and a game Auburn never seemed in jeopardy of losing control over.
At the very least, the Tigers established themselves as a team that will require attention by the rest of the SEC.
Now for the bad. And it's not all bad.
Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, but the game should not have been nearly as close as the final score reflected.
Auburn's performance was much more dominant than it would appear on the surface. The Tigers wasted several opportunities to drive a stake through Tennessee's heart. Auburn should have put Tennessee away and finished with a 10-15 point differential instead of the final four-point spread.
As the Tigers navigate a progressively more difficult October schedule, Auburn can't afford to squander scoring opportunities.
McCalebb dropped a pass in the end zone that should have been caught for one touchdown.
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